A historical mystery set against the backdrop of the Harlem Renaissance, an inspirational novel about a very human man of God and his family, a soft cozy, an urban tale starring a Latina thief, and a rough-and-tumble street lit title populate this month’s selections.

Urban fiction dialog weighs in on the rough side laced with insults and profanity. There’s also name calling to challenge a rival or just to be a hater. While male characters are quick to pull pistols in a fight, women enter frays with cut-to-the-bone verbal insults, as this month’s selections reveal.

The three selections this month deal with blood—whether there’s actual blood flowing from vicious wounds, or the strong bond of family blood in a household determined to make it through controversy. Either way, these folks—like Lady Macbeth—are confronted with removing traces of blood.